Fierté du Lion (Pride of the Lion)
by Streusle
Summary: Lion hasn't always been the easiest to get along with (his ongoing feud with Doc and his small scuffle with Thatcher are proof enough). But when he becomes distant, Twitch takes it upon herself to check in on him. With thoughts of his son's life on his mind, and Twitch offering a listening ear- Lion now has his faith and a teammate to lean on.
1. A Twitch Under the Fur

Olivier leaned against the wall on his window sill. He was reading his Bible to himself, going over the scriptures that he had highlighted on keeping the peace in one's self. He had been leaning more heavily on his faith due to his indecision of which direction he wanted to take his personal life. He looked out the window as the sound of children's laughter pierced through the air. It was the woman who took walks with her three children every day. She was part of Olivier's church, and the most gentle soul Olivier knew (despite the fact of not knowing her name). She gave Olivier advice on everything he asked her, and best believe he asked her a lot. He thought back to a time when he asked her on what he should do regarding his relationship with his son. "Olivier," she began, "whatever you feel you should do, it will be the right choice." At the time she had told him that, it made him grumpy. It didn't help his indecision at all, but thinking about it over and over began to make sense to him- even if he was still at a stand-still with his decisions.

A knock at his door brought him back to reality. He stared at his door from across the room, focusing on the peep hole as if trying to see who was there without moving from his spot. Another knock came, and Olivier sighed as he stood up to get the door. Too bad I don't have my drone to see whose there, he thought to himself. He decided not to check the peep hole, as whoever was there to see him was being an inconvenience anyway. He rolled his eyes before unlocking the hatch and swinging the door open. Olivier's mouth fell open as he stood stunned. "You? How did you know where to find me?" he asked, still in complete shock. "How I know things I probably shouldn't know- is on a need-to-know basis," came the smart aleck reply of Twitch. "May I come in?" she asked with a sincere smile. "Oui."

Twitch stepped inside and looked around. Olivier's apartment was so clean. Bright white walls, minimal furniture, and plants placed subtly around the room. "Your apartment is very lovely," Twitch said lightly caressing a metallic figure of Rodin's The Kiss which sat on a table beside her. "Merci," Olivier said returning his Bible to the cornered bookshelf. "May I ask why you're here?" Twitch placed her hands behind her back and turned to him still smiling. "I just wanted to check in on you. See how you're doing." Olivier's stance was very defensive. Twitch didn't blame him. She had let him know plenty of times that he was not exactly her favorite person in the world. Especially when he brought her into the middle of the ongoing dispute he has with Doc. "You wanted to check in on me?" Olivier asked her with a hostile tone. Twitch shrugged her shoulders and widened her smile. She knew she was coming off as sarcastic. She couldn't help it. But here and now, she was trying her hardest to seem as genuine as she was being.

Olivier sat back down on his window sill, never breaking his gaze on her- lest she try something. "I'm fine. Thank you for checking with me, but you may go now." Twitch's smile faded a bit as she looked down. She sighed heavily before looking back up at him. "Olivier, I'm not here as a threat. I promise you that. Don't let our troubles at work disrupt us here-" Twitch began before Olivier scoffed cutting her off. "Work? Emma, we don't _'work'_. We go out into the field and we gather intel. We kill people. We save lives. That isn't _'work'_ ," Olivier snapped at her. Twitch's smile was fading very fast with every word he spoke. "Whatever you want to call it, Olivier, it's still a service to the people. It's our JOB!" Twitch clenched her fists and squeezed her eyes shut. She dropped her face and took a deep breath in, then out. Why Olivier had to challenge her on everything, she would never know; but it was really getting annoying when she had come to see him on friendly terms out of concern.

"Look, Olivier, I'm concerned about you. Finka is too," Twitch said looking back up at him. "You've been at base with us, but you're not really there." Olivier's jaw clenched tightly. He looked away before looking at the floor. "If you don't want to tell me, it's fine. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay at home." Twitch was about to get up to leave when Olivier said, "It's not." Twitch leaned forward with her arms folded and her elbows on her knees. "Q'uest-cue la problem? (What's the problem?)" Twitch asked him in their native tongue. Olivier leaned back against his window. He looked upwards to keep the tears in his eyes from falling down. He sniffled, and locked eyes with Twitch. "I'm so distraught, Emma. Alexis has been on my mind so much lately. I've just been thinking about the things I could have done to..." Olivier closed his eyes for a moment, then looked back at Twitch. "Thinking about the things I could have done to establish a relationship with him. Like, what if I had never left Claire? What if I had stayed with her, and never got myself back on track like I am now. Would my relationship with him be the same? Would it be worse? I'm so confused about everything, Emma..."

Twitch stood and walked over to Olivier who was now sobbing. She pulled him to her and held him tightly, stroking his back and patting his hair. His arms wrapped shakily around her waist. He clenched the back of her shirt tightly as his emotions flew out of him. He was so hurt. So sad. So angry... All at himself for his stupid past that he wished he could get away from. That he wished he could change. He only had one true relationship with his blood, and that relationship was extremely weak due to his poorly made decisions. What kind of a father was he? No amount of time spent could ever change the fact that Olivier had never wanted his son in the first place, and although he wanted to fix his relationship with Alexis, every time he looked at his face- it brought back the guilt of I wanted you gone.

Twitch blunk back tears of her own as she held on to her cohort. He was always so strong and so confident in the field, and now here he was, crying and unstable. She had known about Olivier's attempts at reconciling with his son. She had also known about how the relationship was awkward due to another man taking the role of 'father' for Alexis. At least Olivier was trying. At least he was bettering himself for his own benefit, and his son's. But right now, Olivier was giving up. It showed with his performance on missions. It showed at lunch time when he discarded full trays after sitting motionless for an hour. It showed after bed time, when Olivier would be walking around the track at three in the morning instead of in bed. It showed... Twitch's heart broke for Lion. Emmanuelle's heart broke for Olivier...

* * *

 **Hiiiii! ^^ Okay so little note to clear things up. When I refer to them by codename then their regular name, I'm emphasizing that who they are when they're on duty at base/with Rainbow they're different from their real selves. The same as going to work and putting on a professional persona when you're really rowdy and like to party in your "at home" life. Just to clear things up ^^ Thanks for reading through this very short chapter~ I hope you enjoyed this and the next one~**


	2. Regaining the Crown

Lion sat on his bunk listening to music* and loading bullets in his magazines. He had dreaded going on the last mission due to his mind being constantly clouded with thoughts. He had performed better than he had been due to his emotions, but he still wasn't doing as well as he could. "Lion," came the voice of Twitch from his room's doorway. He looked up and gave her a quick smile as he worked back on filling his mags. Twitch stepped in and took a seat on the bed opposite Lion's. "You did good today, you know." Lion packed the last bullet in the mag and placed it to the side. "Thank you. I've been learning to quiet the storm in my mind when we go on missions. I'm just happy Six believed in me enough to send me on another one." Twitch crossed her legs and leaned forward resting her chin in one of her hands. Lion looked up and froze in his place. She was posed the same way Claire was the night that he...

Lion shook his head and stood to retrieve his vest from one of his dresser drawers. "I may or may not have had something to do with that," Twitch teased. Lion turned to sit back down on his bed, and he flashed Twitch an awry half smile. Twitch's smile widened as she giggled. "Let me guess- part of that knowing things you shouldn't know?" Twitch's giggle became a soft laugh. Lion nodded, shaking his head at her passive acts of deviance. "My, my, Twitch. You're becoming quite the little know-it-all, aren't you?" Twitch looked away and shrugged before looking back at Lion. Her eyes and smile beaming brightly as she spoke, "Maybe, maybe not. Who knows after all?" She stood and placed a hand on top of Lion's head and bent over now face-to-face with him. "It's good to see you coming back, Olivier," she said more sincere than ever. She stood straight up and turned to leave waving a hand as she disappeared past the door frame.

Lion hung on that last sentence she said. _It's good to see you coming back, Olivier..._ Lion's eyes began to water. His throat burned as that hard lump that came with bursting emotions manifested itself. She really did care about him. She had been letting him vent to her about how he felt, and she had been listening. That last sentence confirmed it. He had told her he felt lost, trying to find his way back to himself- and to hear that he was coming back made him hopeful that he was close to finding the answer he had been looking for in himself. Maybe, just maybe, he could finally make up his mind as to what he wanted to do; but right now, being active in Rainbow had to come first he reasoned. Lion hummed along to the song that played over his speaker as he slipped the mags in their sleeves on his vest. It would be fine. Everything is fine.

* * *

Twitch, IQ, Echo, and Jager all laughed between themselves as they laughed at Blitz. He had insisted he was a real engineer due to his idea of incorporating flash bangs on his shield. "I'll give you props for the idea, but it takes much more to being an engineer than coming up with an idea. You have to actually do it," Twitch said holding on to her stomach and taking a deep breath. Blitz shrugged, "That's more than someone who didn't go to school for it has done." IQ nodded her head leaning on Twitch still giggling. "I'll give you that too," Twitch said clearing her throat. She looked to her right to see Lion walking to the table that Montagne inhabited with Doc. "Zut (dammit)! Looks like I have to go be referee. I'll see you all later," Twitch said blowing a kiss and waving to everyone at the table. She made her way to the table her fellow Frenchman were at, and took the spot directly beside Lion.

Rook grunted in sadness behind her as soon as her bottom met with the seat. Twitch looked over her shoulder at the poor boy who looked at her with a frown. "Je suis desole (I'm sorry), " she said with a slight cringe. "You can have the seat- and stop speaking French at me when you know I can't understand," Rook grumbled. "I'm _sorry_ ," Twitch snapped back as he sat on the end between Montagne and Lion. Lion looked at her raising an eyebrow. "Qu'est que?(What is it?)" Twitch asked. "I thought _I_ was the asshole at the table," Lion joked. Twitch crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Bite me, Olivier." The two laughed amongst themselves earning curious looks from Rook and Montagne, but furious eyes from Doc. Twitch glanced over at Doc and took notice of his fiery gaze. She cleared her throat and sat forward in her seat. "Tres desole, mon chere (Very sorry, my dear)," Twitch said smiling at Doc.

She knew Doc couldn't stand the fact she was growing closer in friendship with Lion day-by-day. He was polar opposites with Lion, and he thought he had the support of Twitch in their disagreement. Not to mention the feelings he shared with her, or even the tensions they couldn't relieve due to professionalism in the field. "Yeah, Doc, chill out. We're not doing anything wrong," Lion stated without malice. He normally would have took this as an advantage to egg Doc on, but his talks with Twitch had mellowed him out some. "You don't get to tell me what's right or wrong," Doc spat. He never took anything Lion said as valid, even if Lion was right. It would take Twitch, Montagne, or Rook to say it for him to listen. Childish as it may have seemed, Doc was standing up for what he believed at any measure. "Okay then, whatever you say," Lion calmly retorted. "Allez, allez, allez! (alright, alright, alright!)**" Twitch said waving a hand between the two.

"I hate when you do this. Can't my boys just get along?" All movement, except for all heads turning to her, stopped. Twitch's eyes grew wide and fearful as she looked around. "Repetez, sil vous plait (Say that again, please)" Doc said glaring a hole through Twitch's head. "I said, 'can't my boys just get along?' Why?" Doc let go of his utensil and it bounced off the table on to the floor with a clang. "Your boys?" Twitch shrugged. "We're French, and here with Rainbow. I'm the only female out of our unit, and I see you all as my boys," Twitch explained. " _He_ is not part of our unit," Doc remarked. "But he's still a Frenchman, and he's here with us," Twitch tried to reason. Doc shook his head and stood gathering his tray. "He is CBRN, not GIGN- I don't care what his uniform says, and I don't care if he's French! He has no regard for human life. He wanted his own son aborted, for Christ's sake!" Doc shouted slamming his tray down.

The whole cafeteria stood still as all eyes were on Doc. Lion stared up at him with a tight jaw, and clenched fists. "Gustave, apologize to Olivier, right now." Doc looked around at everyone watching him. He looked down at Twitch, but pointed at Lion. "I will never apologize to someone so evil," he said before walking away from the table and leaving the cafeteria. Twitch's eyes were shiny with tears. She was upset that Doc could find it in himself to say something so cruel, but more upset that he could find it in himself to speak to her in such a way. She looked over at Lion who stared straight ahead of him completely unaware of everything around him. "Olivier," Twitch said placing a gentle hand on his upper arm. He snatched it away from her as he stood up. He turned and walked away from the table towards the exit. She watched him as he left, and could hear him sniffling over the low buzz of the voices chattering at other tables. His whole body was rigid, and even trembling. She turned back to Rook and Montagne who were now face down, poking at the scraps in their trays. "Au revoir (goodbye)," she said barely above a whisper, and pushed herself away from the table to make her own exit.

* * *

It was cold tonight. Lion sat on a bench just beside the running track. He shivered as the cold pierced through the fabric of his hoodie. He had come here straight from the cafeteria, and spent the rest of the day just sitting there. Thinking. He didn't hear Twitch come up from behind him as she took a seat on the opposite end of the bench. "I thought I'd find you here," she said with a huff. There was a long silence between them before she spoke again. "You know it's two o'clock?" she asked looking straight ahead like he was. Lion sighed a long and heavy sigh. "When did I leave the cafeteria?" he asked. "About 5:40." Lion sighed again. He had been sitting there for almost nine hours. Lion sniffled as a few tears fell from his eyes. "Doc is right about me," Lion said, his voice riddled with despair. "Tais toi, (shut your mouth)" Twitch snapped turning her attention to him. "He is wrong about you. He is acting on his humanitarian side, which is slowly becoming his worst side." Lion turned his head slightly towards her. His eyes were swollen and red from hours upon hours of crying. Twitch slid down the bench closer to him.

She ran a hand through his hair and softly squeezed his chin warranting a smile. "Just when you were doing so well," Twitch said frowning. Lion gave her a half-hearted laugh as his head fell in defeat. Twitch wrapped an arm around Lion and hugged him tight. "Olivier, look at me," Twitch breathed. Lion looked up at her with the saddest eyes she'd ever seen. "You are better than you were back then. You are better than you were yesterday. Tomorrow, you will be better than you are today," Twitch said with a weak but hopeful smile. Lion returned the smile, and Twitch pulled him down to her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly. He wrapped his shaky arms around her, pulling her tight. "It will be okay, mon amour. It will be okay."

* * *

 ***The music/song I was listening to at the time was _Sincerely_ by Tsutchie. I felt like it was perfect to capture the mood of the scene, and I also felt like it would be something that my vision of Lion would listen to. Give it a listen, it's very chill and beautiful c: **

****When I took French in school, I was told 'Allez' used in the way Twitch did was more of an attention-getter. In this instance, she was using it to break up the dispute. c:**

 **I hope the story is going great so far. I hope I'm not taking away from anything with all the tears. I'm still working on embodying the "tortured character" feel lol. Also, I'm sorry for making Doc seem like a meany, but he has that feud with Lion soooooo... :p Let me know something~! Enjoyyyy ^^**


	3. Taming the King

It had been a week since the incident in the cafeteria with Doc, and Lion was mostly past it. The wounds, though, still remained. He had been able to talk to Montagne about how he was feeling since Twitch had been getting called away to so many operations. Montagne had given him the best advice he could, but being 50 with no children- he wasn't exactly much help; but Lion was still thankful nonetheless. "Just remember, I'll always back you on whatever choice you make," Montagne had assured him. It meant everything to Lion, as Montagne was his first, albeit, best friend. "Lion," Montagne called after him. "Hmm?" Montagne reached out and handed Lion a small envelope. "I have to go to the shooting range to aid Thatcher with the recruits, can I trust you to run this errand for me?" Lion slapped a hand on Montagne's shoulder and gave him a subtle nod. "Of course, mon ami!" Lion said with a chipper tone. "Merci beaucoup," Montagne said leaving in a hurry. Lion opened the envelope and read the note inside of it. His smile and high energy disappeared completely as the words on the paper sucked the happiness right out of him. **_"I need my pain medication refilled, please see Doc in the infirmary about my prescription. Thank you -Gilles"_** Lion growled throwing his hands up in the air. "FUCK!"

Lion scanned his I.D. to unlock the door to the infirmary. He slowly made his way to the pharmacy and knocked on the counter. "One second!" he heard Doc call from the back. There were footsteps as Doc made his way to the front. There was the click of a pen followed by a few more steps, and Doc stood face-to-face with Lion. His face went void of any emotion as he made eye contact with him. Neither said anything to the other, they just stared for what seemed like an eternity- the silence eating at their nerves. Lion cleared his throat as he presented Montagne's prescription. "Gilles needs his medication," Lion said dryly. It was more of a command than a request. Doc reached across to take the paper from Lion, who held it for a second before releasing it to Doc. He inspected the paper to ensure that it was a legitimate prescription, and not Lion trying to finesse free drugs. "Un minute," Doc said walking to the back.

Lion walked around the pharmacy looking at all of the certificates, diplomas, and awards Doc had procured over the years. He stopped to read a newspaper article that hung in the middle of all Doc's achievements. The picture under the headline looked so familiar. Lion began reading, and discovered that it was a picture of the small village he and Finka had been in during the end of the Ebola epidemic. The article was to thank Doc for his donation of over a thousand vaccines to the residents of that village and the three neighboring towns that surrounded it. It was dated exactly three days after Lion and Finka had destroyed the spore releasing the virus. "Hmm. God bless him," Lion said to himself. "Here." Lion flinched as Doc's voice penetrated the silence. "Sign here," Doc said presenting Lion with a clipboard. Lion signed for the prescription and turned to head out of the infirmary when he stopped just before opening the door. "Do you know when Emma will be back?" Lion asked out loud. He heard the faint scribbling of Doc's pen as he waited for an answer. There was a loud click before Doc replied, "If I knew, _you'd_ be the last person to know." Lion gripped the door handle hard, his knuckles white from the immense pressure. Of course Doc knew, but he would never tell him.

Lion placed Montagne's prescription in his pocket, and he started towards the training field. The popping of pistols growing louder in his ears with every step Lion took. He walked up to Montagne from the right, pulled the medicine from his pocket, and slapped it hard against Montagne's chest. Montagne looked at him surprised. He was caught off guard twice in one take by Lion. The first from Lion sneaking up on him, the second from the demented look on Lion's face. The air went still as Thatcher ordered the recruits to cease fire and inspect their targets. "There was no kissing and making up like you expected. Next time you need me to run an errand, make sure it's ten thousand yards away from that man," Lion said bitterly. Montagne hadn't expected him to know that in addition to Lion fetching his medication for him, his favor was supposed to be the chance for them to apologize to each other. "Fookin' ell, what's 'is problem?" Thatcher asked handing Montagne a spare clip. Montagne shook his head. "I tried to tame the king of the jungle."

The heavy smoke of a cigarette circled itself around Lion's head. He took a long drag and held the smoke inside of his mouth. It burned his lungs, choked him, and gave him the escape he needed from the everyday bullshit he had recently been encountering at base. He wished Twitch never convinced him to leave him apartment only to come back here. He loved serving as part of Rainbow, but what's a team if the members hate each other? "Smoking again I see." Lion parted his lips letting the smoke expel itself from his body as he looked over at Finka who stood with her arms crossed. She held a look of disappointment on her face, but what was another face that was less than happy with him? She held out a hand, bending her fingers in a summoning motion. Lion sighed giving her the cigarette. She took a long drag on it herself before tossing it away. "That tobacco tastes cheap," she grumbled sitting beside him.

Lion smiled a wide smile chuckling to himself. "It _is_ cheap tobacco," he mused. Finka gave him a short laugh shaking her head. "I haven't seen you in a while. For someone who's so worried about me, you've sure been missing lately." Finka ran a hand through her hair and shrugged. "I've been, for a lack of a better word, occupied." Lion didn't buy it, and he made sure she knew it by the look on his face. "I can worry about you without being up your ass all the time, you know," Finka said with aggressive sarcasm. "Ahhhh, _there_ she is." Finka rolled her eyes making a show of her gagging at his sentiments. There was a heavy silence between the two. That was the bond they had. Silence until words were required, which was starting to feel like the time for them. "You remember the day I suggested you should join Team Rainbow?" Finka asked. Lion nodded his head slowly allowing a smile to creep across his face. "You looked at my jacket and told me to join. That was pretty much that." Finka giggled and gave Lion's arm a friendly slap. "But do you know why?" Lion leaned forward resting his arms on his knees. He shook his head and shrugged looking over his shoulder at her.

Finka placed her hand on his back and leaned forward to better see him. Her eyes locked with his as she spoke, "It was because I saw that you were someone who knew what needed to be done and did it without hesitation. So my question to you now is, why do you hesitate?" Lion's eyes glossed over as he stared at her for a few moments before dropping his head and shrugging his shoulders. "I just... I just want to make sure I'm making the right choice. That my decision won't cost me anymore than it has." Finka patted his back drawing his focus back to her. "Olivier, it's not a decision for just you, it's a decision for everyone. This is no different than what you do in the field, only, you've had more than a split second to think. Now, it's your time to act. Don't wait, because just as in the field, waiting will hurt you more often than help you." Lion took a deep breath and gave her a sharp nod. "I can't do this alone." Finka smiled patting his hair. "I know, honey. She'll be back soon enough. In the mean time, find a better brand of cigarettes for us to smoke."

Six sat with her arms folded on her desk staring at Lion who sat across from her. The only sound in the room was the quiet ticking of the clock above her office door. "Well?" Six said interrupting the silence. Lion wrung his hands as he built up the courage to speak. "Madame Six, I came to request a leave for three days." Six tilted her head back to peer down her nose at Lion. Lion sat forward in his seat with an urgency. "Ma'am please, I know I requested a week earlier this month, but these three days I'm asking for are very important. It's regarding my son, and it's a matter very important to-," his words died out when Six raised a hand. "I had heard talk that your performance had been lacking due to that specific situation. I wrote it off as just speculation, but this request more than completely validates those rumors." Lion sat back in his seat. He was confused on where Six was going with this. Why couldn't she just give him a simple approval or denial? "Lion, I feel it would be in the best interest of the team, and yourself, if you took care of this right away. I'm approving your request, only because we need you with a clear and focused mind." Lion could have hopped across the desk and hugged her. She was clearly being more than generous to him, and he thanked her profusely for it. He was on his way out when he stopped to walk back to her desk. "I have one additional request," he began. Six motioned with one hand for him to continue. "If it's convenient, may specialist Twitch join me?"


	4. Grabbing Life by the Mane

Olivier stood in front of a white wooden door decorated with an autumn wreath. His heart beat thumped in his ears as he slowly raised a hand to knock. Everything was quiet around him, except for the leaves rustling with silent breezes. This was it. Everything either continued, or ended here- right at this moment. He swore he could hear laughter coming from the other side. Maybe it was Alexis playing with his new father. His better father. Olivier took a deep breath and knocked on the door three times. He could hear voices, followed by footsteps. He heard the locks clicking open, and the door knob turn. His breath caught in his throat. He wanted to run, but he was already past the point of no return. The door opened, and he was greeted by that familiar voice. "Olivier?"

* * *

Twitch stood leaning against Lion's door frame with her arms crossed, head tilted, and face beaming with a smile. Lion had to do a double take to make sure he was seeing correctly. "I never took you for a classical kind of guy," she said making note of his music. Lion couldn't contain his excitement. He was told by Six that she wouldn't have made it back to go with him until a day after he left due to a delay. "Well?" Twitch said holding her arms out to him. He seemed to run towards her as he sped across the room. His body colliding with hers felt like running into a brick wall. Twitch coughed on impact following it with a short laugh. "Sorry," Lion said a bit nervous. "It's fine," Twitch giggled squeezing him tight. Lion pulled away from the hug, but kept his arms around her. "I thought you wouldn't be back until tomorrow?" Twitch said nothing, but gave him a sheepish grin. Lion's eyes lit up as he finally understood. "You knew I would ask to bring you with me whenever I finally made a choice, didn't you?" Twitch nodded her head adding, "I spoke to Six before I left, and I asked her that if you came to her while I was gone, hold you off until the day before I was supposed to arrive and not say anything about my return."

Lion's chest swelled with delight. He could never repay Twitch for everything she had ever done for him, especially after organizing a surprise return. "Allez zont, Olivier! We have a plane to catch!" Twitch commanded giving his shoulders a light pat. Lion let go of her and retrieved his duffel bag he had been packing. He turned off his speaker, and turned to the door to leave when he stopped abruptly in his tracks. "Wait, we have to get you ready as well," he said with urgent worry. "Nah," Twitch said shaking her head, "I've already had a bag packed and waiting." Sneaky girl. She really knew a little too much if she could already see herself going with Lion to visit Alexis. "Well, I guess we're off then," Lion said slinging his DUFF-B over his shoulder. They had started down the hallway to the stairs when they caught Doc who was coming up. Twitch's smile fell when she caught his eyes with hers. He looked between the two, but said nothing as he approached.

Twitch and Lion continued to walk, also saying nothing. They had almost made their way past Doc when he reached out and took hold of Twitch's arm. "Gustave, non, s'il vous plait," Twitch pleaded. "I'm not stopping you. I just wanted to wish you both a safe journey," Doc said turning to look at them both. "Olivier, you take care of her for me too." Lion gave him a single slow nod. Doc looked down at Twitch who looked up at him with big, doe eyes. "And you- take care of him too, Emmanuelle." Twitch bit her bottom lip shaking her head "yes". "Je suis d'accord, (I understand)" came her shaky reply. Doc leaned forward to plant a kiss on her cheek. He let go of her arm and planted a firm hand on Lion's shoulder. Lion planted a heavy hand on top of his. They said nothing, just stared at each other for a few moments. They capped the silence with a nod then let each other go.

Twitch and Lion started back on their way to Rainbow's air strip. They talked and joked, laughing between themselves as they leaned on each other. "Awwww, cuuuuuuute~," Valkyrie teased as she passed by. "Oh, shut up, Meghan!" Twitch fired back. Lion raised his eyebrows and flashed Twitch one of those typical Lion half smiles. "What?" Twitch asked. "Do I have to play referee this time?" Twitch gave him a playful punch on his shoulder as she failed to hold back her laughter. Lion couldn't help but laugh also. It was contagious when he was around her, which was everything he needed for the past month. His laughter stopped abruptly when he eyed the plane. Stepping aboard would be one step closer to seeing her. To seeing his son. He knew he was ready, but right now, he didn't feel like it. Twitch could sense the fear in Lion's body. She placed a hand on his arm, looking up at him. "We still have the car ride after this, you know." Lion took a deep breath and nodded. He pushed the door and held it open for Twitch. The piercing sound of the engines rattled Lion's body, or maybe it was just his nerves really getting to him.

Twitch wrapped her arm in his. Lion made a joke about her escorting him like a senior. She laughed it off shaking her head. "It's for comfort." He thanked her for it. He would definitely need a lot of it now more than he did in the past few weeks. They reached the steps, and Lion stepped aside motioning for Twitch to go first. "Are you sure you don't want to go in ahead of me? You do it every other time," Twitch said with a sarcastic smile. Lion rolled his eyes, "There's no bad guys for me to kill, I can hang back." Twitch began up the steps. Lion waited for her to be at least four ahead before following. His eyes wandered from looking at his feet up to the slim body ahead of his. He caught himself staring, and shook his head in an attempt to clear any pending thoughts. No.. Out of respect for Doc, Lion thought to himself. "Speed it up, you snail!" Twitch shouted at him. He had actually fallen way behind staring at Twitch. "I'm coming, don't rush me!" Twitch stood with her hands on her hips watching him come up. "I don't understand," she said when he finally made it on the platform. "You don't have your drone on your back, but you're moving slower than ever." Lion looked at her from the corners of his eyes. She flashed him a small smile and stepped inside the plane.

Lion knew she was just using humor to put him at ease. It was working, but at the same time did she really have to go at him that hard? After all, he was still faced with a daunting task. He stepped inside the plane as well, and turned the corner to take a seat. Twitch sat five rows in on the right side. She waved at him to come over, "I saved you a seat!" Lion had to laugh. That was either the best or the lamest joke she had made yet considering they were the only two who would be flying. "Do you want the window?" she asked as he approached. "No thank you." He sat near the aisle, afraid that if he looked out the window when they landed he would change his mind. The door to the plane shutting caused Lion to flinch. The engine's whirring became louder as the plane was getting ready to take off. They started down the strip moving so slow. Can we just get in the air already? Lion thought to himself. Twitch gasped causing Lion's heart to jump in his throat. Was something happening? He knew he shouldn't have decided to leave. He held his breath as he thought of every possible disaster scenario.

"Olivier!" she said with another gasp. Lion's heart was racing. She sounded frightened. Was there something wrong with the engine? Should he tell them to stop the plane? Twitch patted his arm and waved for him to look out the window. "Look at this!" Lion leaned over afraid of what he'd see. If she told him to look out the window just to see something falling apart he would probably faint. Lion breathed out followed by a weak laugh as he saw Team Rainbow standing just outside the base. They were all waving at them. Attackers, defenders, and even the recruits; all there to see Lion and Twitch off. One body dressed in all yellow caught Lion's eye. Finka stood by herself near the end of the wall by the corner. She had both hands to her face covering her mouth. Is she crying? Lion asked himself. She pushed her hands from her face, as if stopping in the middle of blowing a kiss. She clasped her hands together, and held them under her chin. It was her well wishing to seeing him off. A ping of happiness hit him straight in the heart. He wished he could tell her how much that gesture meant to him.

Team Rainbow shrank as the plane began to lift in the air. The colors of their uniforms ran together to mix into the neutral colors of the Earth. Lion sat back in his seat and sighed. Two hours until they made it to France. Twitch had brought along a book to read during the time that they'd be in the air. Lion didn't think to bring anything to occupy him during the flight. All he had as a means of entertainment was his phone, and it had nothing on it except for one game which bored him to death and his music. I guess it'll just be music then, Lion figured. He placed his headphones in his ears and scrolled through the tracks. He wasn't in the mood for any particular song, but the songs he had just didn't seem to fit. He put the playlist on shuffle and went with the first song to play. It was one of Castle's favorite songs he had downloaded for him. Lion closed his eyes to get lost in the music until the first line came in. _"I sent you flowers but you said you didn't receive them. 'Cause you said you didn't need them...*"_ Lion hit next. He liked the song, but it was full of too many reminders. The next song was one of his favorites, so he let it play. _"Someone's gonna fall in love in here tonight. Someone's gonna let their guard down one last time.**"_

Lion looked over at Twitch who was deeply immersed in her book. She was always at ease. Even in high risk situations, she kept her calm as if nothing could go wrong. Lion was honestly jealous of her in that way. He could shoot people with no problem, but arriving at his ex-girlfriend's house made him extremely nervous. "Would you like to read too?" Twitch's voice snatched Lion from his thoughts. "Hmm?" He pulled one of his headphones out and leaned towards her. "Would you like to read with me?" Lion shook his head. "No, it's fine. I wouldn't know what was happening anyways." He went to put his headphone back in his ear when Twitch grabbed him by the wrist. "Can I listen too? I'll tell you what's happening, and I can read to you." Lion thought about it for a second before agreeing. The chord wasn't long enough to reach her ear, so Lion moved into the seat directly beside her. He handed her the headphone, and she placed it in her ear. _"Whisper to me softly I'm yours, until we know that it's time to leave."_ The fact that that line was the first one for her to hear made Lion slightly embarrassed. What would she think of him listening to a song full of desperation? "I like it," Twitch said with a faint smile.

She began to give Lion a brief synopsis of the book she was reading so far, and began to read from where she last left off. Lion rested his head on the back of the seat and lost himself in the words Twitch read. He drifted off to sleep, only to be shaken awake by Twitch. "Olivier, we're here!" It sounded like a cheer with the way her voice held excitement. She looked out the window giggling to herself. Lion mustered up enough courage to look as well. It looked the same as it did when he was flown out to South Africa. The mix of country houses, city buildings, and the Eiffel Tower overlooking it all. It was beautiful. It was home. The light for them to secure themselves as they prepared to land marked another step to Alexis. Lion fumbled with his seat belt as his nerves riled themselves back up. Twitch pushed his hands out of the way and helped him. "My God, Olivier. Taking a trip with you is like journeying with a child," Twitch teased. Lion awkwardly laughed it off. She said that as if he didn't already know. He was faced with a new task now, though, and that was thinking of the words he would say when they arrived.

The plane had landed, and Olivier and Emma were on their way to the car. Olivier held the door for Emma, and took his place in the backseat beside her. The car slowly took off from the air strip, and onto the busy Paris roads. Olivier held a small silver box wrapped with red ribbon in his hands. He had taken it out of his bag on the plane before disembarking the plane. "A makeup gift?" Emma had asked. He told her it was at first, but then apologized for lying. He admitted he didn't want her to know what it was for, but felt he needed to come clean. "Oh," came her sad reply. She gave him a smile. It was weaker than her normal ones. She could have been upset at his decision, but keeping with her word- she supported him on it. Olivier bounced a leg the whole trip through the neighborhoods they traversed. He was perfectly still in the city, looking up at the buildings and telling her which restaurants he favored when he was younger. But as soon as they began to ride through the communities, he couldn't sit still.

The car turned down a street with an all too familiar name. Olivier watched the wooden houses pass by the window until the car came to a stop in front of a grey brick house. The driver held the door for Emma, and made his way around the car to hold the door for Olivier. A smooth breeze hit his face, beckoning him to step from the car as he sat still. He almost couldn't bring himself to step out, but he forced himself to move. He took his place beside Emma at the end of the driveway as the driver returned to the car. Olivier stared up at house he hadn't seen in almost five months. He had made it this far, and now he wanted to turn back. To just leave the box where he stood, and return to the plane with Emma. His right hand was beginning to feel hot from all of his anxiety. He looked down and saw that Emma had placed her hand in his with her free hand on top. She didn't say a word as she looked up at him. The corners of her lips turned up ever so slightly as his eyes caught hers. "I'll be right here," she assured him. Olivier swallowed hard, nodding his head and taking a deep breath. He took a step forward, and Emma let go of his hand. He wanted to stop, to ask her to walk up there with him; but she knew, as well as he did, that he needed to do this on his own.

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 **Alright, settle down! Just kidding! c: I hope you enjoyed this chapter even though it was kinda... Mehr? x~x Idk. Last chapter is gonna be sad D: Or not. Idk how you guys handle your emotions lol c: Thanks for thinking my story was worth reading this far~! ^^**

 *** Black Beatles- Rae Sremmurd**

 **** It's Just Begun- She Wants Revenge**

 **(I knowwwwww. It's so CRINGE to put song lyrics like these in a story, but I wanted to hint at how Lion is feeling about Clare and Twitch. I'm sorry if your body ended up crumpling ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ )**


	5. The Cub's New Pride

Olivier stood in front of a white wooden door decorated with an autumn wreath. His heart beat thumped in his ears as he slowly raised a hand to knock. Everything was quiet around him, except for the leaves rustling with silent breezes. This was it. Everything either continued, or ended here- right at this moment. He swore he could hear laughter coming from the other side of the door. Maybe it was Alexis playing with his new father. His better father. Olivier took a deep breath and knocked on the door three times. He could hear voices, followed by footsteps. He heard the locks clicking open, and the door knob turn. His breath caught in his throat. He wanted to run, but he was already past the point of no return. The door opened, and he was greeted by that familiar voice. "Olivier?"

Claire stood in the doorway with the most shocked expression. Olivier hadn't told her he was coming. He had wanted his visit to be a surprise, a choice he wished he didn't make now looking at her face. His attention turned to Alexis playing in the living room down the hall with Claire's husband Maurice, then back to her. "Bonjour, Claire," he barely spoke. "What are you doing here?" she spat in their language. "I've come to make things right," Olivier began to say when she interfered. "Make things right? How? By flashing me your new girlfriend after missing almost half a year with your son?" Olivier's throat began to close as he fought back tears. He knew this wasn't going to be easy, and it had just become that much more difficult with her already angry. "Claire, please. Just hear me out," he pleaded. Claire looked at him with discontent before shrugging a shoulder. Olivier cleared his throat, and held on to the silver box as he began to speak. "Claire, I've missed so much time with Alexis. I've tried my best to be there for him, but the relationship is awkward. Not only for me, but it is more for him." Claire opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when Olivier raised a hand. "Please, I'm not done yet."

Claire sighed in annoyance, but let him continue. "Claire, I know you're going to hate me even more when I tell you what I have to truly say." Olivier couldn't keep the tears from falling. This was the hardest thing he had to do in his twenty years of living, but it had to be done. "Claire," he began. "I'm never going to come for Alexis again." He watched the fury that manifested in her body show on her face. "You stay away for five months and come back to say you're disappearing again forever!?" She didn't yell at him as to not startle Alexis and Maurice, but the way she hissed at him cut him deep. "Claire, please," Olivier strained to say. She cut him off again as her anger took control of her. "No! You come here with some woman, and tell me dead to my face that you're not coming back. How dare you? You're his father-", "No." Claire fell silent. "I'm not his father. That man in there is," Olivier said looking back over her shoulder at Alexis and Maurice playing.

Claire glanced over her shoulder, then back to Olivier. His face was streaked with tears, and the corners of his mouth kept twitching into a frown. He sniffled and turned his gaze back on her. "I can't spend enough time with Alexis to even cover how much Maurice has done for him. I apologized to you, but I can't take back the hurt I've caused you. I wish that I didn't leave you while you were pregnant, but I see now that it was the best thing I could have done for you, and for him." Claire's anger had faded, and sadness had taken its place. Seeing that his words were actually reaching her put Olivier at ease. He lifted the silver box and held it out to Claire. She stared at it for a moment before taking it in her hands. She looked up at Olivier, who motioned for her to open it. She removed the ribbon, and opened the top to see a purple and blue rosary. There was a bead in the middle of the cross that had the image of black hand prints with tiny white footprints inside of them. "This is my final gift to Alexis," Olivier said grabbing Claire's attention. "The beads are our birthstone colors. Those are my hand prints with Alexis' footprints in them."

Olivier reached inside of his shirt to pull out a matching rosary hanging around his neck. "I have one as well. This way, I can have Alexis always with me, and he can carry me with him as well." Claire covered her mouth with a shaky hand to silence a gasp. She looked down at the rosary, and caressed the cross. "You don't have to tell him it's from me when you give it to him, or you can just throw it away if you'd rather him not have it. But I'll take him with me everywhere till the day I die, and then hold on to him in my grave." Claire wiped her face as she looked back up at Olivier. "You've raised a beautiful boy," Olivier said pushing a strand of hair from her face. Claire shook her head and turned to grab the door. Olivier expected her to slam the door in his face, but was taken aback by her closing the door and hugging him. He wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed. Both of them were heavy with relief when they pulled back from each other.

Olivier said his final goodbye, and turned to walk back to Emma who held her hands clasped together under her chin. Olivier could see tears running down her face as he neared her. She waved a hand to Claire, who waved a hand of her own before turning to head back inside. Olivier opened the car door and took Emma's hand to help her inside. He plopped down in the seat beside her, sniffling and breathing out heavy sighs. She took his hand in hers and smiled brightly. "I'm so proud of you, Olivier," she followed with a weak laugh. She wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him to her placing a kiss on his cheek. Olivier was proud of himself too. He had finally done what was best for himself, for Alexis, and for Claire. As hard as it was to completely walk out of his son's life again, he knew this time, it truly was for the better. Emma, Lera, and Gilles were right. Everything had been okay.

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 **K, soooooo, depending on how emotional you are- this was either very heart touching, or "there's so much CRYING. WTF" I'm sorry! Maybe if you guys read "he cried. she cried. we cried" enough then you would eventually cry too xD I'm thinking about making an epilogue chapter to this. I had started, but I felt like the climax of the chapter came in too soon so I just deleted it :c Let me know what you think! ^^ It means so much that you read this story to the end! Thanks to all who believe in me/ feel my words are worth your time c:**


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